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Lee SF, Luque-Fernandez MA,

Lee SF, Luque-Fernandez MA, (click to view)

Lee SF, Luque-Fernandez MA,

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BMJ open 2017 11 037(11) e017904 doi 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017904AbstractOBJECTIVES
The clinical course and prognosis of follicular lymphoma (FL) are diverse and associated with the patient’s immune response. We investigated the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as prognostic factors in patients with FL, including those receiving radiotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The best LMR and NLR cut-off values were determined using cross-validated areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves. The extent to which progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival differed by NLR and LMR cut-off values was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. A Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to adjust for confounders.

RESULTS
The best cut-off values for LMR and NLR were 3.20 and 2.18, respectively. The 5-year PFS was 73.6%. After multivariate adjustment, high LMR (>3.20) at diagnosis was associated with superior PFS, with a HR of 0.31 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.71), whereas high NLR at relapse was associated with poorer postprogression survival (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.49).

CONCLUSIONS
Baseline LMR and NLR at relapse were shown to be independent prognostic factors in FL. LMR and NLR are cheap and widely available biomarkers that could be used in combination with the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index by clinicians to better predict prognosis.